AKRON, Ohio -- The Malone University Pioneers and Ohio Dominican University Panthers returned to Canal Park on Saturday to complete their weekend series with a doubleheader. 

The Pioneers' (11-16, 6-14 G-MAC) offense was ready from the start in the first game as they plated five first-inning runs to help power Malone to a 6-2 win. 

In game two the Panthers (15-7, 7-7) responded by outhitting Malone on their way to a 7-2 victory. 

The four-game regular season series ends with the two teams split at 2-2.

Game 1 Highlights
After right hander Tommy Walker retired Ohio Dominican in order to leadoff the game, Malone's offense wasted no time in getting him some run support. 

The first three Pioneers to bat all reached base safely. Tyson Gingerich led off the inning with a single. After Jake Aleman drew a walk, Bryan Yoder singled through the right side of the infield which allowed Gingerich to score the game's first run. 

In the very next at bat Joe Watts came through with a RBI to plate Aleman and make it 2-0 in favor of the Pioneers. 

Malone wasn't done there however. Stone King singled to left center to score Yoder and put MU ahead 3-0. JC Philippi and Evan Balzano made it three straight Pioneer base hits, and ODU was forced to go to their bullpen still in the bottom of the 1st inning. 

With two outs in the inning Andrew Hanna laced a ball into left field to bring home both Philippi and King. All told Malone scored five runs on six hits to take a 5-0 lead after just one inning of play. 

The Panthers answered back with a run of their own in the 2nd, but they would struggle to get to Walker for much of the rest of the afternoon. 

Malone got that run right back in their half of the 2nd when freshman Jake Aleman led off the inning with the first homerun of his collegiate career. 

ODU scratched across an unearned run in the top of the 5th, and that ended the scoring for both sides.

Walker used a pair of strikeouts to work out of trouble in the 7th inning to finish off the complete game win. 


Game 2 Highlights
The Panthers got a solo homerun in the top of the 1st inning to force the Pioneers to play from behind. 

Malone evened things up in the bottom of the 3rd on a RBI single from Joe Watts, but ODU really opened the game up with three more runs in the top of the 4th.

The Pioneers loaded the bases in their half of the 4th, but could not capitalize. Aleman drew a bases loaded walk to pick up his second RBI afternoon, but that was all Malone got in the inning. 

Ohio Dominican went on to add one run in the 7th and another in the 8th to take game two by a final score of 7-2.


PIONEER POINTS

• Tommy Walker's effort in game one was his first complete game of the season, and the fourth by a Malone pitcher. His final line included nine strikeouts and just the one earned run. His season ERA now stands at 4.76, and he is second on the team with 36 total strikeouts.

• Aleman's game one home run makes him the third different Pioneer player to leave the ballpark this season. Joe Watts still leads the team with four. 

• Bryan Yoder was 5-9 at the plate in the doubleheader. He has now hit safely in six consecutive games, and has boosted his batting average to a .291 mark. 

• The 14 team hits in game one is the second-most on the season. It trails only the 18 hits the Pioneers had in the 11-inning contest against Hillsdale earlier this year.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers will play their final scheduled non-conference game of the 2021 season next week. Malone travels to the University of Akron on Wednesday for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.